Fire-ladder



S. M. STEWART.

HRE'LADDER.

Patnted Nov. 8,1881.

jiz'wanz aw passing around a pulley, 0, attached at UNITED STATES- SAMUEL M. STEWART, OF

PATENT OFFIQE.

ROCHESTER, NEW YoEK.

FIRE-LADDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 249,416, dated November 8, 1881, Application filedMarch 14, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, SAMUEL M. STEWART, of the city of Rochester, county of Monroe, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fire-Ladders and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompan yin g-drawings, in whic Figure l is a front View of the ladder partially extended. Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are detail views. I

My improvement relates to extension fireladders which are operated by a wire cable and Windlass.

Theinvention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings, A represents the base or bottom length, and B the upper or extension length. These parts. rest one upon the other, the upper one sliding up and down in the ordinary manner. 1

G is the windlass, located near the bottom of the main length, and mounted on a shaft, a, the ends of which project beyond the ladder, and have cranks b b, as shown. a When not in use the cranks may be attached on the inside of the ladder out of the way. The periphery of the windlass is grooved in one direction, as shown, so that the wire cable D willrun thereon without overwinding, one length unwinding as fast as the other winds up. This cable is attached by its ends to the opposite ends of the Windlass, one passing over and the other under, and the upper looped end of the cable the top of the main length of the ladder.

E is a metallic spider, consisting of a center hub or boss, f, and four angular arms, d d d 01, extending therefrom, and having feet at their outer ends attached to the inner sides of the upper ladder, near the bottom, as shown. It serves as a strong brace or stay to keep said sides of the ladder together and in proper position. The center boss, f, has on its under side a cap, 9, which covers the bottom, and is secured thereto by clips, which pass up through the boss, and are secured at the top by riveting the ends, or by nuts screwing thereon. In the contiguous faces of thehub and the cap is formed a longitudinal passage, h, for the passage of the cable, and in the center of the passage is an enlargement or socket, It, to receive acorrespondingenlargement,i,formed bywinding wire around the cable and soldering it in place, or by other suitable means, which, restin g in said socket in thehub, prevents slipping of the cable through the same, and causes the upper section of the ladder to slide upward when the Windlass is turned.

is a cross-head at the upper end of the main ladder, on which the pulley 0 turns loosely. The ends of the cross-head are squared in crosssection, and rest in'longitudinal grooves Z Z in the sides of the ladder, so that while said crosshead can slide freely up and down in said grooves it cannot turn axially.

per section, B. The head 0 of each hook is rounded, so as to ride over the rounds of the lower section, A, as the upper section is raised,

but provided on the under side with a depression,which catches on said rounds .as the upper section is lowered. The base of the hook, below its joint, has a. square end, which rests on the end of a stiff spring, 1", fastened by bolts or otherwise to the side of the upper section. The action of the hook and spring is similar to the blade and spring in a jack-knife. When the hook is thrown down, as shown in Fig. 4., the spring produces pressure to cause the hook to engage with the rounds as the upper section is elevated but when the hook is thrown up, as shown by the dotted lines, the spring holds it there and allows the upper section of the lad dcr to run down free. Each of the hooks on the rod j is free and independent fromthe other, hence each is free to catch on the round, giving additional security.

H H are brace-arms, jointed to the sides of the main section in the ordinary manner. The upper section is held to the lower one by the usual lugs or flanges, u a.

I am aware that drums and cables are emon the ronndsare well known.

ployed in extension-ladders, also devices at the top of the-main ladder for straining the cable, one form being a rod to which the pulley is attached as a hanger, and operated by a screw and nut. Hooks of various forms for catching In my invention the spider E serves the double purpose of bracing the upper'section and forming an attachment for the cable, which is simple and easy to adjus and obviates many of the objections where the cable is attached to a crosspiece or round. The employment of the crossbar k, lugs m m, and adjusting-screws n n, lo-

cated on opposite sides, provides a stiff attachment, which holds the pulley against swaying and prevents disengagement of the cable from the pulley. This attachment for straining the cable always retains its position when the ladder is inclined to one side.

What I claim as new is-- 1'. In an extension-ladder, the combination,

' with the section B and cable D, of the spider E,

consisting of the angular armsd (1d d, attached to the sides of the 1adder,,aud formingabrace, and the central hub or boss, f, and the cap g, 2 5 provided with a passage, 71., to receive the cable, said passage having an enlarged socket to receive a corresponding enlargment on the cable, as herein shown and described.

2. In an extension-ladder, the combination, 0 with the pulley 0 and cable D, of the cross-head k, extending across the ladder, its ends resting in guide-slots l l, the lugs mm, and the screws n n, on opposite sides, passing through said lugs and screwing into the cross-head, the whole 5 forming a stiff adjusting attachment for producing tension on the cable, as herein shown and described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing 40 witnesses.

SAMUEL M. STEWART.

Witnesses:

R. F. Oseoon,

GHAUNGEY NASH. 

